inter, adv., and prep. with acc. [kindred to in, intra; Sanscr. antar; Goth. undar; Germ. unter; Engl. under].
I Adv., in the midst , in between (poet. and rare): dumque pii petit ora patris stetit arduus inter pontus, Val. Fl. 5, 337: tot montibus inter diviso, id. 6, 220; 8, 382. —
II Prep. , with acc., between , betwixt , among , amid , surrounded by.
A Lit., in space.
1 Of position only.
a Referring to two places or objects, between : qui (mons Jura) est inter Sequanos et Helvetios, Caes. B. G. 1, 2: cum inter me et Brundisium Caesar esset, Cic. Att. 9, 2: inter Padum atque Alpes, Liv. 5, 35: ager Tarquiniorum, qui inter urbem ac Tiberim fuit, id. 2, 5: locus inter duos lucos, id. 1, 8, 5: apud Artemisium inter Euboeam continentemque terram, id. 2, 5, 2; so, inter haec maria Asia, Curt. 3, 1, 13.—
b Referring to more than two places or objects, among , in the midst of : inter hostium tela versari, Cic. de Or. 1, 46: inter multos saucios spe incertae vitae relictus, Liv. 2, 17, 4: rex inter primos constiterat, Curt. 5, 3, 9: inter multitudinem, Liv. 22, 13, 2: inter lignarios, id. 35, 41, 10: repertae inter spolia catenae, Tac. A. 2, 18: vicos aut inter vias manere, Suet. Caes. 39: inter ingentes solitudines, Sall. J. 89, 4: inter deserta ferarum Lustra domosque, Verg. A. 3, 646.— So, even with a noun in the sing., in the midst of , surrounded by : erat inter ceteram planitiem mons, Sall. J. 92, 5: tibicines inter exercitum positi, Gell. 1, 11, 3: inter caedem aquila, Tac. A. 1, 60; cf.: inter ceteram praedam, Liv. 22, 16, 7; 8, 10, 10: inter purpuram atque aurum, id. 9, 17, 16. —
2 With verbs of motion.
a Between , through , among : inter medias stationes hostium erupere, Liv. 35, 11: acies inter bina castra procedunt, id. 4, 18, 3; Tac. A. 14, 33: inter oppositas classes transmisit, Suet. Caes. 58: spatiabatur in nemore Parmenion medius inter duces, Curt. 7, 2, 23: medios inter hostes Londinium perrexit, Tac. A. 14, 33.—
b Pregn., including motion to and position between or among things mentioned, among , into the midst of : inter densas, umbrosa cacumina, fagos Adsidue veniebat, Verg. E. 2, 3: te mea dextera magna inter praemia ducet, id. A. 12, 437: dico te priore nocte venisse inter falcarios in Laecae domum, among the scythe-makers , into the street of the scythe-makers , Cic. Cat. 1, 4, 8.—
B Transf., of relations conceived as local.
1 In discrimination (doubt, choice, etc.), between two or more objects: judicium inter deas tres, Cic. Div. 1, 50, 114; cf.: inter Marcellos et Claudios patricios judicare, id. de Or. 1, 39, 176: inter has sententias dijudicare, id. Tusc. 1, 11, 23: inter diversas opiniones electio, Quint. prooem. 2: discrimen inter gratiosos cives atque fortes, id. Balb. 21, 49: inter optime valere et gravissime aegrotare nihil prorsus interesse, id. Fin. 2, 13, 43: qui bellum et pacem inter dubitabant, Tac. A. 12, 32: trepidare inter scelus metumque, id. H. 3, 39: inter pugnae fugaeque consilium, Liv. 1, 27.—So, with inter repeated: ut nihil inter te atque inter quadrupedem aliquam putes interesse, Cic. Par. 1; id. Fin. 1, 9, 30: quid intersit inter popularem civem et inter constantem, severum et gravem, id. Lael. 25, 95.—
2 In expressing any relation which connects two or more persons, conceived as between or among them (strife, rivalry, friendship, intercourse, etc.).
α In gen.: quos inter magna fuit contentio, Nep. Mil. 4, 4: Nestor componere lites Inter Peliden festinat et inter Atriden, Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 12: certamen inter primores civitates, Liv. 10, 6.—Esp., with pronouns , to express all reciprocal relations, among , with , or between one another; mutually , together : quasi nunc non norimus nos inter nos, Ter. Ad. 271; Cic. Div. 1, 28, 58; id. Att. 10, 4, 10; id. N. D. 1, 26, 51: quod colloquimur inter nos, with one another , id. de Or. 1, 8, 32; cf.: inter nos naturā ad civilem communitatem conjuncti sumus, id. Fin. 3, 20, 66: vobis inter vos voluntatem fuisse conjunctam, id. Div. in Caecil. 11, 34: Ciceronis pueri amant inter se, love one another (like the Fr. s’entr’aimer ), id. Att. 6, 1, 12: inter se consultare, id. de Or. 2, 3, 13: inter se amare, id. Q. Fr. 3, 3, 1: neque solum se colent inter se ac diligent, id. Lael. 22, 82: Di inter se diligunt, id. N. D. 1, 44, 122: furtim inter se aspiciebant, id. Cat. 3, 5, 13: complecti inter se lacrimantes milites coepisse, Liv. 7, 42: haec inter se cum repugnent, plerique non vident, Cic. Tusc. 3, 29, 72: inter se nondum satis noti, Liv. 21, 39: ratio et oratio conciliat homines inter se, Cic. Off. 1, 16, 50: ne nostra nobiscum aut inter nos cessatio vituperetur, id. Fam. 9, 3, 4: quae res eos in magno diuturnoque bello inter se habuit, Sall. J. 79, 3.—Sometimes pleon., the reciprocal relation being sufficiently expressed by the context: manus conserentis inter se Romanos exercitus, Sall. H. 1, 41, 19 Dietsch: Ulixes cum Ajace summa vi contendere inter se, Dict. Cret. 5, 14: conferti inter se, id. 2, 46.—
β So of things: ita effici complexiones atomorum inter se, mutual , reciprocal , Cic. Fin. 1, 6, 19: colles duos inter se propinquos occupat, near one another , Sall. J. 98, 3: haud procul inter se erant, id. ib. 41, 2: multum inter se distant istae facultates, Cic. de Or. 1, 49, 215: res inter se similes, Quint. 9, 2, 51: inter se dissimilis, id. 9, 4, 17.—
γ Of a common privacy, secrecy, etc.: inter nos, between or among ourselves , confidentially , like the Fr. entre nous : nec consulto dicis occulte, sed quod inter nos liceat, ne tu quidem intellegis, Cic. N. D. 1, 26, 74: quod inter nos liceat dicere, id. Att. 2, 4: quod inter nos sit, but let that be between ourselves , Sen. Ep. 12, 2. —
δ With nouns denoting a multitude of persons, like apud (not ante-Aug.): haudquaquam inter id genus contemptor habebatur, Liv. 6, 34, 5: inter hostes variae fuere sententiae, id. 4, 18, 1: credula fama inter gaudentes, Tac. H. 1, 34: more inter veteres recepto, id. ib. 2, 85.—
3 Of a class of persons or things to which the subject is referred.
a In gen., among : homines inter suos nobiles, Cic. Fl. 22, 52: inter suos et honestus et nobilis, id. Clu. 5, 11: in oratoribus vero admirabile est, quantum inter omnes unus excellat, id. Or. 2, 6: inter philosophos (Xenophon) reddendus est, Quint. 10, 1, 37: ille Croesus, inter reges opulentissimus, Sen. Contr. 2, 9: Borysthenes inter Scythiae amnes amoenissimus, Mel. 2, 1, 6.— So freq. with sup. , inter and acc. take the place of a gen.: honestissimus inter suos numerabatur, Cic. Rosc. Am. 6, 16: plurimum inter eos valere, Caes. B. G. 2, 4, 4: maximum imperium inter finitimos, Liv. 5, 3, 10: inter Atheniensīs longe clarissimi, Curt. 4, 13, 15; Plin. 34, 8, 21, § 81; Petr. 78; Sen. Suas. 2, 7; 2, 12; Just. 12, 7, 2; 36, 2, 6.
b Esp.: inter paucos, etc., among few , i. e. among the few select ones, eminently , especially : pingunt et vestes in Aegypto inter pauca mirabili genere, Plin. 35, 11, 42, § 150; cf.: sternutamento utilis inter pauca, id. 24, 11, 58, § 97: pugna inter paucas memorata populi Romani clades, Liv. 22, 7; cf.: inter paucos disertus, Quint. 10, 3, 13: inter paucos familiarium Neroni assumptus est, Tac. A. 16, 18: claritudine paucos inter senum regum, id. ib. 11, 10; so, inter alios: judicatur inter alios omnes beatus, qui in proelio profuderit animam, among all others to be noticed , i. e. especially , in the highest degree , Amm. 2, 3, 6; so, inter cuncta, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 96: inter omnia, Curt. 3, 3, 18: inter cetera, Liv. 37, 12.—
c In judic. lang., t. t.: inter sicarios, on the charge of assassination : cum praetor quaestionem inter sicarios exercuisset, Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 54; id. Clu. 53, 147; cf.: in recuperatorio judicio ejus maleficii, de quo inter sicarios quaeritur, id. Inv. 2, 20, 60: longo intervallo judicium inter sicarios hoc primum committitur, id. Rosc. Am. 5, 11: sexcenti sunt, qui inter sicarios et de veneficiis accusabant, id. ib. 32, 90: si ostenderis, quomodo sis eos inter sicarios defensurus, id. Phil. 2, 4, 8.—
4 In some idiomatic phrases.
a Inter manus, within reach , i. e. close at hand : ante oculos interque manus sunt omnia vestras, Verg. A. 11, 311; also, upon or in the hands : inter manus domum ablatus, Liv. 3, 13: inter quas (manus) collapsus extinguitur, Curt. 8, 2, 39: inter manus auferri, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 11, § 28: inter manus meas crevit, under my hands , Sen. Ep. 12: manus inter maestorumque ora parentum, before their faces and within their reach , Verg. A. 2, 681.—
b Inter viam, vias, on the way : dum rus eo, coepi egomet mecum inter vias, Ter. Eun. 629; Plaut. Poen. 5, 3, 43: si se inter viam obtulerit, Cic. Att. 4, 3, 5. —
C Of time.
a Between two dates or periods specified: dies XLV. inter binos ludos, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 52, 130 fin. ; Liv. 1, 3.—
b During , in the course of , within; for which, in English, we sometimes use by or at : quot prandia inter continuum perdidi triennium, Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 61: omnia agentur, quae inter decem annos nefarie flagitioseque facta sunt, Cic. Verr. 1, 13; cf.: qui inter annos tot unus inventus sit, quem, etc., id. de Imp. Pomp. 23, 68: inter ipsum pugnae tempus, Liv. 36, 20: inter noctem lux orta, id. 32, 29: qui plus cernant oculis per noctem quam inter diem, Gell. 9, 4.—
c Freq., with substt. , to denote an act performed at a certain time, in the course of , while : haec inter cenam Tironi dictavi, at table , Cic. Quint. Fr. 3, 1, 6; cf.: illuseras heri inter scyphos, id. Fam. 7, 22: inter fulmina et tonitrua, id. Phil. 5, 6, 15: promptior inter tenebras affirmatio, Tac. A. 2, 82: inter initia, at the beginning , Cels. 3, 25.—
d During , and hence under the circumstances described, i. e. in spite of , notwithstanding : nobis inter has turbas senatus tamen frequens flagitavit triumphum, amid , in spite of these commotions , Cic. Fam. 16, 11: utrumque consilium aspernatus, quod inter ancipitia deterrimum est, dum media sequitur, Tac. H. 3, 40: senum coloniae inter male parentes et injuste imperantes aegra municipia et discordantia, id. Agr. 32; cf.: ita neutris cura posteritatis inter infensos vel obnoxios, id. H. 1, 1.—
e Inter haec, inter quae, meanwhile , during this time : = interea, inter haec major alius terror, in the mean time , Liv. 2, 24; cf.: inter haec jam praemissi Albam erant equites, id. 1, 29; 3, 57, 7; 44, 10, 5; Curt. 3, 1, 1; Suet. Tib. 8; 63: inter quae tribuni plebei petivere, etc., Tac. A. 1, 15; 2, 34; 58; 3, 33; id. H. 1, 78; Curt. 4, 2, 10: inter quae unctione uti licet, Cels. 4, 2, 3.— So with gerunds and gerundives: inter agendum, at , while , Verg. E. 9, 24; Quint. 12, 3, 10: inter disceptandum, id. 12, 7, 6: inter res agendas, Suet. Caes. 45.—
D In composition its final r is assimilated in intellego and its derivatives.
a Between; as, intercedere, interponere. —
b At intervals , from time to time; as, interaestuare, intermittere, intervisere.—
c Under , down , to the bottom; as, interire, interficere.